St. Louis Public School District makes changes amid teacher shortage

St. Louis Public School District makes changes amid teacher shortage

ST. LOUIS (AP) – St. Louis schools are trying a new approach to hiring teachers as Missouri districts face a teacher shortage.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that St. Louis Public Schools opened a staff recruitment office last year to address issues in hiring that district officials say has likely contributed to the large turnover rate. Officials say it’s typical to have 100 or more teaching vacancies during the school year.

District officials hope the office helps them be smarter about searching for and selecting teachers. There was previously no set standard for hiring across schools.

Anna Westlund was recently appointed as the district’s recruitment director. She says the office screens all applications within 48 hours. Candidates are first interviewed by phone before meeting with principals in person and teaching a sample lesson.
___Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch